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At last week’s senior “restructuring” staff meeting, Senate Democratic leadership clarified to staff that Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson is now “in charge” and “calling the shots,” according to a source close to the Senate Democrats.

Sampson and his aides will be negotiating on behalf of the Senate with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Gov. David Paterson to address the $2.1 billion budget deficit. Paterson has said that he hopes to have a tentative agreement in place by Labor Day and to call the legislature back to pass a deficit reduction legislation in late September.

As for staff restructuring, little appears to be changing at the very top — Senate Secretary Angelo Aponte was appointed to his position through next year and appears to be staying on. Chief Counsel Shelley Mayer and Program/Counsel Director Michael Kink will continue in their roles, according to the source. All three were installed in their positions under Senate President Pro Tempore Malcolm Smith, who is expected to step down from his position in the winter (as per the agreement that ended the Senate stalemate.)

It appears that the more active restructuring is taking place in terms of the shifting leadership within the conference.

Sen. Eric Adams, who was actively involved in the staff “restructuring meeting,” will be taking a more active role in conference affairs, according to another Senate Democratic source. Adams is very close to Sen. Hiram Monserrate, a fellow NYPD alum and one of the two turncoat Democrats who instigated the coup on June 8. Smith’s ouster was a condition of Monserrate’s return to the Democrats. Adams is also close to Sampson, a fellow Brooklyn Democrat.

Sen. Eric Schneiderman is also expected to take a more prominent role in the conference. Schneiderman made a failed bid for Senate minority leader in 2006 when Paterson announced that he was running for lieutenant governor with Eliot Spitzer. Schneiderman had the backing of Paterson until the departing minority leader switched allegiances and backed Smith instead. Schneiderman has been advising Smith since Democrats took control of the Senate in January and will now do the same for Sampson. During the Senate stalemate, Schneiderman at one point took the role of negotiator on behalf of the Democrats.

It appears that Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada, who was installed in the role as part of the deal to end the coup, has been stripped of any significant influence over the Senate’s day-to-day operations. The resolution passed July 9 allowing Smith to appoint Espada to the majority leader post also stripped some of the power away from the title of majority leader.

Update: In response to the sentence above about the expectation that Smith will leave his post as president pro tempore in the winter, Smith spokeman Austin Shafran issued the following statement:

“Senator Smith is now and will remain President Pro Tempore of the New
York State Senate. Aside from his constitutional duties in the line of
succession to the office of governor, Senator Smith is tasked with
managing the external affairs of the Democratic Conference including
leading our efforts to maintain and grow the majority in 2010,” Shafran said.

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